Mitsubishi i-MiEV Earns A 4-Star Rating At Euro NCAP

The European New Car Assessment Programme, Euro NCAP has now started to test fully Electric vehicles and announced that the first vehicle to be tested was the Mitsubishi i-MiEV.

The i-MiEV scored a credible 4star rating having been subjected to the same full scale tests as conventional vehicles in the programme, which include frontal, side, pedestrian, pole, ESC and child occupant tests.
Electronic Stability Control is standard on the iMiEV, with a seat belt reminder system for the front and rear seats.

The passenger compartment was judged to be unstable as the vehicle may not be able to withstand an impact at a higher speed than tested however it must be remembered that EuroNCAP is a simulation of a crash, carried out in a laboratory and could not simulate all types of crashes.

The test results provided are vital not only for the manufacturer but more importantly the consumer and do offer an indication on how the vehicle will fair in a crash situation.

The i-MiEV shares its rating with its twin models the Citroen C-Zero and the Peugeot i-ON, as all three have the same design and safety equipment.

Prior, during and after the tests extra precautions were taken with extra fire fighting measures in place to protect personnel and the laboratory due to the fact that this is a fully electric vehicle and these were first time tests. No electrical or fire hazards were detected during the test.

The tests were carried out with a live battery, which was not damaged during tests.